All certified educators (those holding an educator certification or Emergency Teaching Permit issued by the State Board for Educator Certification [SBEC])

All classroom substitute teachers and educational aides, whether certified or not

Non-certified employees hired by a district or charter school on or after 1/1/08 (including applicants for a School District Teaching Permit)

Charter school employees, whether certified or not, working in a teaching or professional position

Contracted employees hired on or after 1/1/08 who have direct contact with students

Name-Based Background Check Requirements

The following are subject to a name-based background check per Texas Education Code (TEC) § 22.0835:

Non-certified employees hired before 1/1/08

Contracted employees hired before 1/1/08 who have direct contact with students

Student teachers

Volunteers, unless they are a parent, grandparent, or guardian of a student; a person accompanied on campus by a district employee; or a person volunteering for a single event

Procedures for New Hires

To initiate the fingerprint process, school districts or charter schools upload all new hires to the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS).

Certified employees

Certified educators submit payment of $35.00 in order to conduct the national criminal history background check through DPS, FBI and Texas Education Agency. This fee is paid in ECOS.

The certified educator is issued an email with fingerprint information once the online payment is made. A fingerprinting appointment cannot be scheduled without this document. A valid photo ID is required at the time of the appointment.

Certified educators use Texas MorphoTrust locations. Educators are required to pay an additional $10.00 fee for scanning of fingerprints at the time of the appointment.

TEA receives the fingerprinting results 5-7 business days after the fingerprint appointment.

Certified educators must fingerprint before the first day of employment.

Non-certified employees

Non-certified employees obtain a fingerprint information email from their employing school district.

Non-certified employees/or the district pay the fingerprint and criminal history background check fee of $33.00 to the DPS digital fingerprint vendor, MorphoTrust.

Non-certified employees must fingerprint before the first day of employment.